This invention relates to a agent capable of protecting, reducting or preventing alopecia which frequently occurs as the side effect of anticancer agents. More particularly, it relates to an antialopecia agent characterized by containing oolong tea extract as the active ingredient.
A case of cancer has been on the remarkable increase, various anticancer agents have been developed and the new developed anticancer agents administered to the patients. On the other hand, there arises a serious problem of alopecia as the side effect of these anticancer agents. The alopecia occurring as the side effect of anticancer agents rarely causes the discontinuance or alleviation of the dosing schedule of the anticancer agents, since the administration of the anticancer agents affect life and death for the patients, while the alopecia is no fatal side effect. However, alopecia occurs at a high incidence and ranks high as painful side effects, following vomiting and nausea, on patients under the treatment with anticancer agents. Also, there is no doubt about that patients with alopecia have perturbation and uneasiness. Namely, alopecia causes serious mental anguish.
Human hair grows through the differentiation of hair-matrix cells in hair follicles distributed in the whole body. It is known that hair follicles on the head (i.e., scalp hair organs) have the highest growth rate and the longest growth period and involve those in the growth stage at a high ratio, which makes the hair on the head the longest among all. From a clinical viewpoint, alopecia can be roughly classified into male pattern baldness, alopecia areata, alopecia senilis, alopecia congenitalis, alopecia accompanying dysbolism (for example, endocrinopathy), trophopathy, shock or systemic diseases (for example, prolonged high fever), secondary alopecia following various cutaneous disease on the scalp, and drug-induced alopecia. That is to say, the head hair follicles (scalp hair organs) are damaged by various factors including hereditary ones and diseases. Although the mechanism of alopecia induced by anticancer agents has not been fully clarified so far, it seemingly proceeds as follows. Because of having much higher biological activities than other hair organs, the scalp hair organs are liable to be damaged by anticancer agents similar to bone marrow lymphoid tissues and digestive tract mucosal epithelial tissues. Thus the hair-matrix cells in the hair follicles are damaged. As a result, the growth of the functions of the hair-matrix cell is ceased and hair bulbs are deformed. Thus the hair becomes atrophic or poor and falls off. Alternatively, the hair organs rapidly rush into the resting phase and thus the hair falls off.
Among anticancer agents, anthracycline derivatives typified by adriamycin, endoxan (cyclophosphamide) and etoposide induce severe alopecia at a high frequency. In addition, alopecia is induced by nitrosourea, 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, interferon, etc. It is pointed out in many papers that adriamycin or etoposide causes alopecia at a ratio of 60 to 80%. It is further pointed out that the administration of each anticancer agent in a higher single dose results in the higher incidence of alopecia.
To cope with the alopecia occurring as the side effect of anticancer agents, attempts have been made to administer an anticancer agents together with an antagonist (for example, Co-enzyme Q10) specific thereto; to select an administration route other than oral or intravenous administration so as to reduce the amount of an anticancer agents reaching the scalp hair organs (for example, intraarterial or intraperitoneal administration); or to reduce the blood flowing into the scalp with the use of avascularization belts to thereby inhibit the access of an anticancer agents to hair roots (i.e., the scalp blood stream blocking method). However, none of these method can achieve any satisfactory effect. In the case of the selection of the administration route, for example, intraarterial administration is usable only in cancers being under arterial control definitely (for example, liver tumors), which restricts the application range thereof. On the other hand, the scalp blood stream blocking method suffers from a problem that it causes intense pain. Another method for inhibiting alopecia comprises regulating the scalp temperature to 22xc2x0 C. or below, i.e., the skull (head) cooling method. However the evaluation of the efficacy of this method is divided into two. It is reported that this method exerts no effect, in particular, when an anticancer agents is used in an increased dose or administered orally. Moreover, this method has disadvantageous in that the prolonged cooling period demands that the patient could not move for long time and the appearance makes the patient unpleasant. In addition, troublesome nursing care is also needed therefor. Other known methods for coping with alopecia are limited to preventive means such as the application of hair growth creams (for example, hair nourishing protein creams) not stimulating the scalp and having no vasodilator effect, keeping the head clean, maintaining the whole body in a good nutritional status, easy mental state, etc. Anyway, no remarkable and fundamental means has been established therefor hitherto.
There has been reported nothing but the oral administration of tocopherol as a means for preventing drug-induced alopecia via the administration of medicines. It is reported that the oral administration of tocopherol exerts a preventive effect on alopecia induced by adriamycin. However, it is also reported that tocopherol exerts no effect on alopecia induced by the combined use of adriamycin with other anticancer agents. In the alopecia induced by the administration of anticancer agents, hair-matrix cells are not completely broken. Namely, it is a temporary or reversible symptom. In recent years, therefore, a number of patients suffering from alopecia wear wigs for medical use until the effect of the anticancer agents disappears and hair newly grows after the termination of the administration of anticancer agents.
Accordingly, it has been urgently desired to develop a safe and efficacious antialopecia agent which inflicts neither any pain nor unpleasantness on patients under the administration of anticancer agents and has no side effects.
To develop a agent for alopecia caused by anticancer agents, the present inventors have examined a number of substances and conducted extensive studies. As a result, they have successfully found out that the application of oolong tea extract can achieve an effect of protecting, reducing or preventing alopecia. The present invention has been completed based on this new finding. Moreover, the present inventors have confirmed that the oolong tea extract is also efficacious against alopecia caused by the cessation of the growth of the hair-matrix cell function or by the resting phase of the hair-matrix cell induced by anticancer agents. Thus, it is also efficacious against alopecia caused by a number of other factors.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an antialopecia agent characterized by containing oolong tea extract as the active ingredient.
The present invention further provides a foods or beverages containing the above-mentioned antialopecia agent.
Oolong tea is a semi-fermented tea originating in China. It has been widely taken in China from ancient times. With the spread of Chinese dishes, it is now taken all over the world. In these days, there are a number of oolong tea-lovers in Japan too. Because of being a tea beverage, it is taken in a large amount everyday for a long time. Nevertheless, no harmful effect of oolong tea has been found out so far. On the contrary, animal experiments with the use of rats and rabbits indicate that the continuous intake of oolong tea for a long time causes no problem in safety. That is to say, oolong tea is a highly safe beverage and, therefore, can be given to human with a high safety. From the standpoint of patients, oolong tea, which is familiar as an everyday beverage, can be pleasantly and positively taken without any discomfort or anxiety.
The oolong tea extract to be used in the present invention can be obtained by extracting oolong tea leaves with water heated to from room temperature to 100xc2x0 C. The extraction time ranges from 10 seconds to 24 hours, though it varies depending on the temperature of the water and the desired concentration of the extract. The water to be used in the extraction may contain an alcohol, preferably ethanol. It is sometimes observed that sodium hydrogen carbonate is added to the water by which oolong tea leaves are extracted or sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium L-ascorbate, etc. are added to the extract to thereby improve its preference, etc. Since these additives have no undesirable effect, the products thus obtained are also usable as the oolong tea extract in the present invention.
The oolong tea extract of the present invention is the one which is obtained by extracting oolong tea leaves with heated water and has a concentration ranging from 0.1 to 30% by weight (Brix; the content of solid matters). Oolong tea usually taken as beverages has a concentration of from 0.1 to 1% by weight. It is therefore preferable from the viewpoint of preference that the oolong tea extract has a concentration falling within the above range, since it can be drunk as such. When the oolong tea extract has a concentration higher than the range usually employed as beverages, it sometimes tastes bitter when drunk as such. In this case, it may be taken preferably in the form of a thickened extract, a freeze-dried powder, etc. optionally processed into tablets, capsules, etc. When the oolong tea extract has a concentration lower than the range usually employed as beverages, it can be drunk as such. In this case, however, it is often undesirable from the viewpoint of preference. To achieve the desired concentration, the extract can be appropriately diluted with water or concentrated by, for example, evaporation before using.
The oolong tea extract provided by the present invention can be orally administered either as such (i.e., in the form of the extract) or after diluting with water. Alternatively, the extract may be formulated into liquid preparations for oral use such as syrups. Furthermore, it may be formulated into a thickened extract, a powder, etc. and blended with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers to thereby give solid preparations for oral use such as tablets, capsules, granules, powders, etc. As the pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, use can be made of various organic and inorganic materials commonly employed in the art as carriers. For example, fillers, lubricants, binders, disintegrator, etc. may be used in solid preparations, while solvents, fillers, suspending agents, binders, etc. may be used in liquid preparations. Furthermore, use can be made of various additives such as preservatives, antioxidants, coloring agents and sweeteners, if necessary.
Appropriate examples of the fillers include lactose, sucrose, D-mannitol, starch, crystalline cellulose and light anhydrous silicic acid. Appropriate examples of the lubricants include magnesium stearate, calcium stearate, talc and colloidal silica. Appropriate examples of the binders include bound cellulose, sucrose, D-mannitol, dextrin, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose and polyvinyl pyrrolidone. Appropriate examples of the disintegrators include polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, D-mannitol, benzyl benzoate, ethanol, trisaminomethane, cholesterol, triethanolamine, sodium carbonate and sodium citrate. Appropriate examples of the solvents include purified water, alcohols and propylene glycol. Appropriate examples of the suspending agents include ethanolamine stearate, sodium lauryl sulfate, laurylamino-6propionic acid, lecithin, benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, surfactants such as glycerol monostearate, and hydrophilic polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose, hydroxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose and hydroxypropylcellulose. Appropriate examples of the preservatives include parahydroxybenzoates, chlorobutanol, benzyl alcohol, phenethyl alcohol, dehydroacetic acid and sorbic acid. Appropriate examples of the antioxidants include sulfites and ascorbic acid.
The oolong tea extract provided by the present invention can be administered as such (i.e., as the extract). Alternatively, it may be formulated into a thickened extract, powder, etc. which is then processed into foods or beverages. It may be blended with edible materials commonly employed and carriers acceptable in manufacturing foods and beverages and then served as foods or beverages. Examples of the beverages include oolong tea beverages, tea beverages prepared by mixing with other tea, carbonated beveragges, fruit beverages, lactic acid beverages, sport beverages and soya milk. Examples of the confectionery include biscuits, chocolates, candies, chewing gums, snacks, fried cakes, fresh cakes, Japanese cakes, ice creams and jellies. Examples of the foods include breads, noodles, processed soybean products such as tofu (bean curd), dairy products such as yoghurt and butter, processed meat products such as ham and sausage, processed egg products such as tamago-yaki (Japanese omelet) and chawan-mushi (custard- like dish steamed in a cup), processed marine products such as tsukuda-ni (small fishes and shellfishes boiled in sweetened soy sauce), ground fish meat products such as kamaboko (boiled fish paste), seasonings such as sauce, dressing, mayonnaise and furikake (rice topping) and prepared dishes such as curry, stew, hamburg steak and soup. These products can be each produced in a conventional manner.
Examples of the carries acceptable in manufacturing foods and beverages include sweeteners such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, isomerized liquid sugars, fructoligosaccharide, aspartame, sorbitol and stevia; coloring agents such as red cabbage colorant, grape pericarp colorant, elderberry colorant, caramel, gardenia colorant, corn colorant, saffron colorant and carotene; preservatives such as pectin decomposition products, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, parabens and potassium sorbate; thickeners such as sodium alginate, propylene glycol alginate, calcium cellulose glycolate and sodium cellulose glycolate; antioxidants such as L-ascorbic acid, tocopherol, erythrobic acid and rutin; color developing agents such as ferrous sulfate, sodium nitrite and potassium nitrate; bleaching agents such as sodium hydrogen nitrite and potassium metabisulfite; quality keeping agents such as propylene glycol; quality improving agents such as L-cysteine hydrochloride and calcium stearyl lactate; inflating agents such as ammonium chloride, potassium hydrogen D-tartrate, ammonium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate and alum; emulsifiers such as lecithin, sphingo-lipids, vegetable sterols, soybean saponin, sodium alginate, propylene glycol alginate, casein sodium, glycerol fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters and sorbitan fatty acid esters; emulsion stabilizers such as sodium chondroitin sulfate; flavoring substances such as lemon oil, eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, vanilla extract, orange oil, garlic oil, ethyl acetoacetate, anisaldehyde, ethyl vanillin, cinnamic acid, citronellyl acetate, citral, vanillin, butyl butyrate and esters; mourishing agents such as L-ascorbic acid, L-asparagine, L-alanine, inositol, L-glutamine, carotene, tocopherol, vitamin A, folic acid, iron citrate, heme iron and uncalcined calcium; wheat flour-improving agents such as benzoyl peroxide, ammonium persulfate and chlorine dioxide; bactericides such as bleaching powder, hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorous acid; chewing gum bases such as methyl acetylricinolate, ester gum, vinyl acetate resin, polyisobutylene and polybutene; anti-blocking agents such as D-mannitol; integrating agents such as acidic sodium pyrophosphate, potassium pyrophosphate and sodium pyrophosphate; acidifiers such as adipic acid, citric acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, D-tartaric acid, lactic acid and DL-malic acid; and seasonings such as fish extract, yeast extract, sea tangle extract, soy sauce, tomato puree, meat extract, mirin (sweetened sake for seasoning), fruit puree, dried bonito, sodium L-aspartate, DL-alanine, L-arginine L-glutamate, disodium 5xe2x80x2-inosinate, trisodium citrate, L-glutamic acid, sodium L-glutamate, succinic acid, L-tartaric acid and sodium lactate.
The dose of the oolong tea extract according to the present invention may widely vary depending on the severity of the alopecia, relative health status, age, sex, body weight, etc. of the subject to which it is administered. Usually, the daily dose of the oolong tea extract may range from 0.1 to 20 g (in terms of the solid matters) in the case of an adult weighing 60 kg. It may be administered once to several tens times per day. A daily dose thereof exceeding 20 g causes neither any problem in safety nor disorders.
As the results of Test Example 1 and Test Example 2 as will be given hereinafter show, the oolong tea extract has a preventive or reductive effect on alopecia induced by etoposide which is an anticancer agent causing severe alopecia at a very high incidence.
It is clarified by the following Test Examples that the oolong tea extract of the present invention has a preventive or reductive effect on alopecia occurring as the side effect of anticancer agents. Moreover, the oolong tea extract has a similar preventive or reductive effect on alopecia induced by other factors, since these symptoms are caused by damaged hair-matrix cells in hair follicles. In addition, the oolong tea extract of the present invention has a high safety and no side effect. Thus it can be administered to subjects without any anxiety. The oolong tea extract of the present invention is usable not only as a drug but also as foods or beverages.